Raúl, the ‘Best of the Best,’ Departs Real Madrid

The arrival of José Mourinho as Real’s new coach was not, according to the diplomatic Raúl, the reason for his departure. But it fell to the man who 15 years ago gave both Raúl and Guti their senior debuts to usher them out of the door.

Jorge Valdano, once a striker, then the coach and now the director general at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, had on Sunday thanked José María Gutiérrez — Guti — “for giving the best years of his life to this club.”

Monday’s task was more difficult, more emotional. Real Madrid was saying goodbye to Raúl González, its captain, its record all-time goal scorer, its icon through 16 seasons and 17 major trophies.

Raúl has scored from boyhood, with a predator’s instinct and such clear, clean finishing that he makes scoring seem as easy as passing the ball into the net.

Opponents know that his left foot is the best, but his anticipation, his movement and timing eludes them all. His records of 323 goals in 741 games for Real surpasses the great Alfredo di Stéfano. His 66 goals in the Champions League and 44 for Spain are all-time records.

The club’s Web site has long signaled Raúl’s importance with the simple slogan: “Symbol of Madridismo.”

On Monday, that was replaced by a compilation of Raúl’s scoring goals in every part of the world.

Raúl and Guti were teammates, but far from like souls. Where Guti had extravagant gifts but a wayward temperament, Raúl worked tirelessly on his one great gift, the end product of soccer, putting the ball past goalkeepers.

Whereas Guti seemed born to Real and was schooled in its kindergarten teams, Raúl crossed the city as a 13-year-old when Atlético Madrid, the great rival club of the city, abandoned youth team soccer as too expensive a cause in 1992.

Atlético’s former president, Jesús Gil, later lamented: “Raúl was my bête noire.”

“Real Madrid became my home,” Raúl said Monday. “I think that one day I will return to the club.”

“Last season, I played a lesser role on the team and decided that maybe it was the right time to try a new life in another country,” he added. “I can’t say for certain, but I am confident that I could have performed well this season.

“I feel like a player and I want to continue feeling like a player for the time I can and that my body allows.”

The club president, Florentino Pérez, found the simplest, and most apposite, words when he said “Raúl has been the best of the best.”

And while discussions have gone on with Schalke for some while, Raúl suggested Monday that the contract was not signed and sealed. There might yet be a new bidder.

It makes one think back to 2003, when Real was signing the galacticos.

“Real buys these big players like Rigo, Zidane and Ronaldo,” commented Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United. “But the best player in the world has been there all along. He is Raúl.”